By Jake Sexton

April was National Poetry Month, and our library had a poetry writing contest to celebrate. The contest’s theme was “music,” to match the theme of our upcoming Summer Reading Program, “Read to the Rhythm.” Below is the winning poem from our contest.

HE PLAYED TO PLEASE GRANDMA
by Mae Fink-Woodberg

Six was the age he started the
violin and did fine
  The music to my ears
  was as sweet to my tongue as
wine.
  Then came piano lessons too.
  He liked it, as something new
  He grew older and thought the
violin was too much.
  So my daughter let him give it
up without too much fuss.
  Piano was then his formal
choice
  His father agreed with his deep
masculine voice
  Knowing how much I liked
jazz and all that razzamatazz
  My grandson learned the tune
  “The Entertainer” and played
it well
  It pleased him knowing he
was pleasing me,
  this I could tell.
  Every now and then he
would pick up the violin
  “Fiddler on the Roof” is what
he played,
  and when he did it made my
day.
  The opportunity never occurred
to me when I was a child
  Getting music lessons was kind
of wild.
  Those were lean years, hard
times and fierce.
  So whenever my Ezra plays,
my eyes overflow with tears.
  Music is a comforting sound,
  From disco, records and radio.
  It’s soothing and comforting for young and old.

We have a number of music-related programs planned for the summer months, starting with traditional Middle Eastern dancing by the Arabina Dance Company on June 6. During the remainder of the summer we will have taiko drumming, local singer-songwriter Lisa Sanders, and a lecture on the history of jazz, with a live performance. Both the poetry contest and these upcoming musical performances are sponsored by the Friends of the La Mesa Library.

News from our Friends

As Friends of the Library, we’re engaged in creating a comfortable experience for customers. Recently, the Friends and the City of La Mesa funded automatic hand dryers for the library’s public restrooms, saving both paper and landfill space. The Friends are also purchasing roller shades for the hot and sunny south windows of the library, so that we’ll truly be a “cool zone.” We’re able to do this through public support, including generous monetary donations, Friends membership dues and purchases made at the Friends bookstore. If you’re interested in helping support the library, contact the Friends about membership, donation and volunteer opportunities. Membership forms are available in the library and at friendsoflamesalibrary.org/membership.

—Jake Sexton is librarian at the La Mesa branch of the San Diego County Library. Call the library at 619-469-2151, visit in person at 8074 Allison Ave. or get information online at sdcl.org.